WEBVTT A MIDDLE GROUND ONMUSLIMS IN AMERICA.I AM SOLEDAD O'BRIEN.WELCOM TO "MATTER OF FACT."PRES. TRUMP: WE ARE TO KEEPRADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISTS THE HELL OUT OF OUR COUNTRY.SOLEDAD: THAT IS PRESIDENT TRUMPADDRESSING CPAC, THE ANNUALCONSERVATIVE POLITICAL ACTIONCONFERENCE.IT IS A PLATFORM FORCONSERVATIVE ACTIVISTS ANDELECTED OFFICIALS.TRADITIONALLY, IT HAS BEEN A WAYFOR REPUBLICANS TO UNDERSCORETHERE CONSERVATIVE CREDENTIALS.THANK YOU FOR TALKING WITH US.>> IT IS GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.SOLEDA YOU ARE A DOCTOR, AVETERAN OF THE U.S. NAVY, YOURPARENTS WERE SYRIAN REFUGEES.MUCH OF THE RHETORIC THAT HASCOME OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE OFLATE IS AGAINSTMUSLIMS ANDCONSERVATIVES OFTEN CONFLATEMUSLIMS WITH RADICAL ISLAM.THAT IS PROBLEMATIC, ISN'T IT?>> I THINK SOME OF THE VERBIAGEHAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC.I THINK THERE HAS JUST BEEN ALACK OF ACCURACY OR NUANCEMIXING UP ISLAMISTSWITH MUSLIMSIN GENERAL.I THINK WE HAVE TO BE CAREFULNOT ONLY SAYING WHAT WE AREAGAINST, WHICH IS SAYING WE AREAGAINST RADICAL ISLAM, BUTSAYING WHAT WE ARE FOR, LIBERTYAND FREEDOM.I WOULD PUSHBACK AGAINST THEMAINSTREAM DOGMA THAT SOMEHOWTHE RIGHT IS ANTI-MUSLIM.I HAVE NEVER FELT AT ANY MOMENTTHAT THERE IS ANY BIGOTRY ORSIGNIFICANT PUSHBACK AGAINSTBEING MUSLIM AND A CONSERVATIVE.SOLEDA I DON'TTHINK IT ISUNUSUAL FOR PEOPLE IN THEADMINISTRATION OR CONSERVATIVEVOICES TO REALLY SORT OFPITCHISLAM OR MUSLIMS AS A FORCE TOBE FOUGH WITH, ALMOST AS IF WEARE AT WAR.>> IWOULD BE CAREFUL OFPAINTING THEIR LACK OF NEW ONES,AND SEPARATING ISLAM IS A, WHICH-- ISLAMISM, THE MUSLIMBROTHERHOOD TO THE WAHHABIS INSAUDI ARABIA.I LOOK AT IT INTERNALLY AS AMUSLIM THAT I NEED TO DO ABETTER JOB IN EXPLAINING THAT WEARE NOT ALLISLAMISTS.WE ARE IN AMERICA WHERE WESEPARATE CHURCH AND STATE, ANDWE NEED TO SEPARATE MOSQUE ANDSTATE.WE NEED TO WORK WITH THOSE WHOBELIEVE THAT ISLAMISTS ANDISLAMIC REFORMIST MUSLIMS ARETHE SOLUTION.SOLEDAD: WHAT DOES IT LITERALLYLOOKED LIKE TO BE A REFORMIST INAMERICAN DEMOCRACY?>> WE BELIEVE -- WE DON'TBELIEVE WE HAD A MONOPOLY ONHEAVEN.WE BELIEVE IN SECULAR GOVERNANCERATHER THAN THE ISLAMIC STATE.WE DO NOT BELIEVE YOU CAN DOEFFECTIVE COUNTERTERRORISM ANDCOUNTER-RADICALIZATION AND LESSMUSLIMS START ADOPTING THE 20TH-- THE 21ST CENTURY IDEAS.THE ISISAND OTHER GROUPS WILLCONTINUE TO REGENERATE UNTIL WEHAVE A PROCESS OF SECULARMODELS.SOLEDAD: THE PRESIDENT'S TRAVELBAN FOCUSED ON SEVEN COUNTRIESTHAT WERE MAJORITY MUSLIM.WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON 9/11, NONEOF THE 9/11 ATTACKERS CAME FROMTHOSE COUNTRIES.IT SEEMS THATTHERE WAS ADIFFERENT MESSAGE THAT WAS BEINGSENT IN THAT TRAVEL BAN.>> AS YOU MENTIONED, THERE ARECOUNTRIES THAT I WOULD SAY AS AREFORMIST, THAT SHOULD BEINCLUDED.IT IS NOT THAT THEY ARE MUSLIMBUT THEY ARE CAULDRONS THAT AREANARCHICAL,WHETHER SYRIA ORYEMEN OR SOMALIA, AND WE REALLYCAN'T RELY ON THE GOVERNMENT'STO HELP THAT TERROR GROUPS.IT IS ABOUT A PAUSE.THE MESSAGE HAS BEEN VERYPROBLEMATIC.

Conservative American Muslim Supportive of Travel Ban

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Updated: 10:08 AM EST Feb 25, 2017

President Donald Trump told CPAC attendees Friday that “We are going to keep radical Islamic Terrorists the hell out of our country.” Dr. Mohamed Zuhdi Jasser, an American Muslim with Syrian refugee parents, thinks his ideas may be able to help. CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, is an annual gathering for activists and elected officials to exchange conservative ideas and policy initiatives. Jasser, in his fourth year attending CPAC, spoke at the conference on the war against jihadists and terrorist ideology. He speaks with Soledad O’Brien about his support for the Trump administration travel bans and how he thinks Muslims can bring together their Muslim and American identities under the conservative tent.